Thursday, May 01, 2014

Bay Area Sports: Next Man Up

The SF/Oak/SJ Sports landscape is a sea of change. One minute its taking us high on the waves of a championship crest and the next its dropping us down into the depths of despair and loss. Such is the ebb and flow of competitive sports, season after season. The seasonal waves of basketball and hockey have taken us to heights of promise of late. But last night our teal, black and white Sharks were thrown against the coastal rocks of a playoff game 7 by the Los Angeles Kings. The Sharks couldn't fair the storm that nobody on deck saw coming. They were out-maneuvered and overpowered, scuttled to the depths of defeat with all hope of a first Stanley Cup championship smashed to smithereens.Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors find themselves rowing for dear life as the storm wave that is the Los Angeles Clippers rolls into town tonight to engulf and drown out all hopes of bay area basketball reaching the next tier of championship competition. The two California teams have given us basketball fans much to cheer and gripe about throughout this series, but tonight's game 6 could see it all come crashing down for the Warriors as the Clips can douse all hope for the Dubs once promising season. Maybe the L.A. squad, a transplant from San Diego via Buffalo for you sports trivia buffs, was designed to weather the playoff storms better. After all, I'm told a clipper ship is a strong, durable craft designed to roll on the waves with grace. The Warriors are fighting an up-wave battle tonight. Good Luck and may the odds be ever in your favor!And so, as seasons change, so change the hopes of our sporting hearts. Baseball is here and our bay area vessels are atop their divisions, riding the early waves of triumph. The San Francisco Giants are 17-11 and 1.5 games ahead in the NL West. The Oakland Athletics are 18-10 and find themselves leading the AL West by 3 games. Both are showing the rest of the competition that they aren't giving up the king-of-the-division seat without a fight. The baseball season is a long journey across violently shifting seas. Its as much about keeping the vessel healthy and in ship-top shape as it is about enduring the rigors of a long and at times perilous voyage. The goal is to safely reach the World Series championship shore. Could it be another long awaited Bay Bridge Series come October? Again, the answer lies in the seas of change and the hands of fate. We wish the Warriors all the best in their game 6 survivor showdown tonight. We look forward to a jolly good season from the A's and Giants. Full Steam Ahead!